A/N: I hope you don't hate me for this! And also the updating a day after but I can't help it. I'll regret soon though. But I won't be able to update tomorrow so aren't I kind? Lol! So anyways let me know :)

"My buds are here! I love my buds!"

Buffy Summers – Buffy The Vampire Slayer

"You're house is gorgeous" Sharpay told her slowly and in a low voice as if she would speak any louder the house would suddenly turn 'ugly'.

She had started East High on the Monday and now it was Thursday, and she had settled in okay. She was beginning to get used to the jungle and all of the people in it, more so that she didn't have any choice. She had come to the conclusion that no matter how much she wished she could be back in San Francisco it wasn't going to happen.

"It's so cosy Gabriella" An exasperated Kelsi informed. Gabriella had invited Sharpay, Taylor and Kelsi around to her house after school to discuss their music project.

"Thanks" She let out a small chuckle and let the girls take off their shoes. "Do you guys want some coffee or some juice or anything?"

"No thanks" Taylor and Kelsi chorused.

"I want some juice" Sharpay smirked and held her hand high in the air to volunteer.

"Come on. I'll take you into the kitchen, you can come if you want" She beckoned for Taylor and Kelsi to follow them but they stayed behind and turned left into the living room.

Once they had gotten into the kitchen Sharpay jumped up onto the yellow counter and watched Gabriella walk to the silver metallic refrigerator and pull out some lemonade. "Lemonade okay?"

Sharpay nodded her head solemnly. "Yeah lemonades great"

"Gabriella. I'm home" An older mature voice called from what she knew was the doorway and she knew it was the eldest Montez's voice.

"I'm in the kitchen" Gabriella yelled back and heard the echo of her footsteps on the floor followed by two little pitter patters.

"Hey" Alyssa grinned enthusiastically

"Hi, Lyssa this is Sharpay, and Sharpay this is my eldest sister Alyssa" Gabriella introduced and from the corner of her eye she saw Sharpay dive down from the counter in fright or nerves she didn't know which one.

"Hi, um I'm sorry for sitting on your furniture. You're house is gorgeous" Sharpay complimented and Gabriella saw Lucas walk in carrying pieces of paper.

"Oh, thanks. And it's okay about the furniture" Gabriella knew that Alyssa was being nice but she also knew that she would be cursing caused by her being such a neat freak.

"Hey little man" Gabriella cooed to her nephew who had a smile on his face. "Come here. I've got someone for you to meet"

Lucas walked over timidly to Gabriella and stood by her side. She crouched down to his level feeling the bones in her knees crack as she did so. "Shar, come here"

Sharpay succumbed to her request and crouched down at the pair's level.

"Lucas, this is Sharpay. Sharpay this is Lucas" Gabriella introduced for the second time and she saw Sharpay smiling brightly at the 2 year old.

"Hi" Sharpay beamed enthusiastically in the way you generally would talk to a 2 year old. "I like your jacket" She felt for his black jacket and shook it to indicate what she meant.

"I think he likes you" Alyssa's voice entered her ears, a proud smile evident on her face.

"He's just the cutest" Sharpay complimented and Gabriella lifted Lucas from the floor into her awaiting arms.

"So how'd the search go?" Gabriella asked and Alyssa sighed deeply.

"Are you're other friends here too?" Gabriella didn't know whether she was avoiding the question or not.

"Yeah" She responded and felt Lucas pull onto the strands of the black curled hair.

"Well we can't exactly have a conversation when you're friends are in there. Come on we'll go in the living room" Alyssa beckoned and began walking into the living room, Gabriella picked up the glass of lemonade before following her.

Walking into the living room she saw Taylor and Kelsi relaxed on the couch making a lazy smile splash onto her face. She had only known them 3 days but she had felt like she had known them for a life time. There were no awkward silences they all just got along. Well she got on with the three of them she obviously knew they were close before she moved there.

"So how'd it go" Gabriella asked before she placed Lucas onto the floor and relaxed onto the arm of the chair that Sharpay was sitting in comfortably.

"It went okay" Alyssa referred to how she was hoping to start a business in Albuquerque, she had always had her heart set on opening a club and before the family moved they decided that they were going to pursue their dreams, and Gabriella couldn't have been more supportive for Alyssa to open her own club or a restaurant. "They showed me a few places and I've got some pictures here" She explained and grabbed the pieces of paper from Lucas. "Tell me what you think"

"Is this for a club?" Gabriella questioned before Alyssa nodded her head in response. "I'd drink here"

Alyssa raised her eyebrows in surprise and shock of what Gabriella had just come out with. She let a chuckle vibrate from her mouth. "If I was old enough"

Her elder sister nodded. "I thought so. So what do you think?"

Gabriella drew her focus onto the pictures, one was spacious, the bar was centred and there was plenty of vacant space around it and the other wasn't so spacious, the bar was in the corner and Gabriella could imagine that if people were to go there it would be a tight space and a great sweat bath.

"The first one" Gabriella handed back the piece of paper into her sisters hands.

"I was thinking that too" Alyssa agreed silently and smiling at the younger Montez. "So how are the songs coming along?"

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. They hadn't even attempted it. "That's what we were planning to do"

"I see. I'll leave you guys to it then. Do you want any snacks?"

Gabriella looked around to see Sharpay looking up at her sending her a silent signal with her eyes bulging from her spherical face. "Um, yeah please"

Alyssa grinned enthusiastically at the four girls and placed a hand on her stomach in comfort to her unborn child. "Okay sweetie, Lucas come on buddy"

An hour had soon passed by and Gabriella was laid lazily on the laminate flooring eating the cookies that Alyssa had made for the four girls.

"Okay, scratch the whole doing one each song. I think we should do all 5 together" Gabriella suggested and watched from the corner of her eye Sharpay placing her forefinger and thumb on the bridge of her nose as a result of stress.

"Genius" Sharpay beamed enthusiastically. "Are you sure that's allowed"

Gabriella let a small laugh erupt while her stomach vibrated silently. "Meh, It's my sister. She'll bend the rules for us"

"Okay so can we just like take a break now" Taylor's drained voice asked her.

"Of course" Gabriella shrugged her shoulders loosely and rolled back onto her butt to sit facing the other three girls.

"So Gabriella, we've been thinking, and we want you to come to a party with us tomorrow night" Sharpay offered. She knew that they probably wouldn't have wanted to because it was only her first week at East High and she might have felt kind of awkward.

"Who's party?" Gabriella tried to dance around the question but she just wanted to scream yes!! It would be a good opportunity to stare at perfection, assuming he was going.

She had been at east high for almost a full fucking week now and she had been sitting with Taylor, Sharpay and Kelsi and Chad and the rest of them and Mr. Perfection whom she now knew as Troy Bolton wouldn't talk to her. He hadn't talked to her. He had looked at her making her feel uncomfortable but he had shown no signs to talk to her.

She didn't exactly want him to say will you come to bed with me right now? Well she wouldn't have said no, she was beneath him anyways but she thought that he would have been kind enough to make her feel welcome at the jungle. But no, nada. No signs of Troy ever talking to her.

And it depressed her to no end.

"Um, some guy on the football team. That's what Troy told me anyways" Sharpay informed her and immediately her ears perked up and her heart started beating rapidly just at the sound of his name.

God how pathetic she was.

What she would give for him to talk to her. Just a fucking acknowledgment. But who was she seriously trying to kid, he was far too good for her.

But friends wouldn't hurt right?

"Minor teeny weeny details" Sharpay laughed sarcastically. "So you're up for it?"

What would it hurt? It was just a party. And there was a deep want inside of her to go even more so because Mr. Perfection was to be there. God she wasn't even calling him by his name it was Mr. Perfection. She was actually kicking her insides. "Sure, why not?"

A playful smirk cropped up onto the blondes plump lips. She smacked her perfectly manicured hands together in a clap as if to 'celebrate' that Gabriella were to be going to the party with them.

"So you're coming to the basketball game then before right? I'll pick you up and then you can come to my house bring your party clothes, go to the game go back to my house and get changed and then we... party" Taylor explained simply. "Oh and you guys can stay at my house afterwards"

It seemed like a plan. Especially if she could sit or stand in the bleachers and watch Mr. Perfection run around sweat collecting on his god forsaken body. Looking at his toned legs. That's how she imagined them to be. He wouldn't have skinny scrawny legs. They would be toned and muscular and what she would give to wrap her calf around his.

Okay now that was pathetic and completely NEVER going to happen.

"Gabi?" Taylor questioned. She must have been fantasizing about Mr. Perfection for god knows how long because the three of the girls were staring at her like she was an alien.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm totally there" Gabriella grinned and picked up another cookie placing it into her mouth.

"Perfect" Sharpay felt around in her jean pocket and pulled out what Gabriella had learned was the baby pink version of the Blackberry that she had paid ridiculous amounts of money on.

In the few days that Gabriella had been at East High she had found out that Sharpay was stinking rich, though she hadn't been to her house yet, it was something on her to do list but she had learned that she lived in a mansion with alot of servants and butlers as a result of her mom and dad not really being there for her and her brother who was named Ryan. Was it Ryan?

"So Kels. How's things with Jase? Still as dry as Ghandi's flip flops?" Sharpay questioned while she pressed away at her cell.

Kelsi smiled at her statement but Gabriella could tell that there was irritation buried deep into it. "You could say that. Anyways never mind my relationship what about yours?"

Sharpay smirked coyly while she still tapped away at her cell. One word. Zeke.

That was all Gabriella could put it down to.

"I don't have a relationship" She stated simply. "It's just simply a sexual relationship"

Her black plucked eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Weren't they the same thing?

"Sharpay, you love him. Why is that so hard for you to admit?" Kelsi asked irritatingly. Clearly they had had this conversation before.

Sharpay hid her milk chocolate spheres behind her wary eyelids. And from what Gabriella could tell Sharpay had given the same answer before.

"Yeah you're basically in a relationship. How many guys have you kissed or let alone looked at in the past 7 months?" Taylor interrogated and Gabriella could sense the tensions rising.

"And how many girls has he kissed or lucked at in the past 7 months" Kelsi fired back.

Gabriella thought it would be best not to get involved. It was Sharpay's decision right? It was what she wanted to do? And it wasn't her place she had known them what 3 days? She couldn't even think about giving relationship advice. But like Sharpay said. It wasn't a relationship was it?

"What do you think Gabriella?"

Shit.

Sharpay's head suddenly switched to Gabriella who was now biting her lip so hard she thought the skin was going to burst and blood come pumping out like a water fountain. "I... um. It's not my place"

"Gabriella. You can say what you want. These 3 have been pounding me about this for oh I don't know.... 7 months. And you're our friend now so it'll be good to have someone else going on at me about it" There was disappointment evident in Sharpay's tone and Gabriella knew that it was probably tearing her up more than she was letting on.

She was completely throwing herself in at the deep end here but what the hell. Like Sharpay said. They were friends right? "I guess that if you do really love him and that's your way of showing him then that's your prerogative. And even if you don't then it's your choice. As long as you don't get hurt then then it's your choice"

Sharpay reached over and pressed her hand to Gabriella's thigh. "I love this girl. I really do y'know that"

Taylor smiled knowingly. "Yeah okay so maybe it is your choice"

Sharpay lowered her eyebrows agnostically at her best friend.

"Okay it is your choice" Taylor began again before Sharpay's high pitched utterance butted in

"A full 100 percent?" She asked sarcastically

"Right totally, utterly, completely your choice. But he totally worships you, and you're the same no matter what you say. So why not just make it official? If another girl even looks at him you completely go psychotic and he's the same. Remember the whole Jimmy thing?" Taylor referenced. Who was Jimmy? What happened? So many questions running through her mind.

"What happened? Who's Jimmy?" Completely kicking herself again. All of the questions completely flooding out.

"Just before summer, Zeke and Sharpay had this huge fight it was at this party and Sharpay thought it would be funny, to flaunt herself over Jimmie Zara who was a sophomore at that point and she was a junior, and Zara has been in love with her ever since! Anyways, Zeke got so mad he broke 3 of Jimmies ribs and Troy had to hang out with him and his friends for a week so he wouldn't press charges" Her knight in shining armour.

"It shows that he's willing to fight for me" Sharpay almost boasted. "Look I admit that was wrong and at the time it was so not fun. But looking at it now, it is kinda fun"

"You were crying your eyes out screaming Zeke no" Kelsi described, so maybe Sharpay was one for the drama?

"Yeah but that shows how much he cares" Sharpay sighed and Gabriella knew that she was drifted off into that night.

All of the signs were pointing towards Sharpay and Zeke should have been together but like Gabriella said it was her prerogative.

"Anyway enough of my nonexistent relationship, Kelsi cheated" Gabriella's deep brown spheres almost jumped out of her head like you would see on a tom + jerry cartoon when you was a child.

"Kelsi. Call me out of line but that really doesn't seem like you" She knew she was probing at uncharted territory but she wanted to be friends with them and being friends with people meant that you knew things about them right?

"Oh my god Sharpay!" Kelsi let out with a tinge of distress and irritation. Oh no. They didn't want her to know. Well Kelsi didn't.

"What Gabriella's our friend right? Who's she gonna tell?" Sharpay did seem to be warming to Gabriella which did comfort her in some weird way.

"I know but... okay Gabriella I know that it's not like me but it was a total moment of weakness I really didn't mean for it to happen and you know what? I feel like that's why me and Jason have been so dry lately because I've felt so guilty and we were meant to be on a break when it happened" Kelsi seemed to justify herself to Gabriella which made a comforting smile arise on her blemish free face.

"Hey I was kidding okay. I totally don't know anything about yours and Jason's relationship to judge" Gabriella said honestly guilt rising in her stomach.

"Oh please Kelsi that's what a guy would say to justify his cheating. You saw friends right?" She was totally messing with her Gabriella could see it in her milk chocolate spheres.

Kelsi opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. But again opened it again. And then Gabriella saw her tongue touch on her thin lips.

"Kels, I'm sorry" Sharpay reached over and touched Kelsi's black linen covered legs.

"Who was the guy?" Gabriella questioned and reached over and grabbed her glass sitting on the carpet.

"Ryan" It was barely audible but it caused the liquid in the back of Gabriella's throat to clog and a cough forced itself from shock out of her mouth.

Her deep brown orbs were jumped out of her head. Again. "Ryan. As in Sharpay's brother Ryan?" The three girls nodded their heads, Sharpay's and Taylor's so much faster than crimson faced Kelsi.

"Don't sound so shocked Montez" Sharpay joked. "So are you gonna tell him?"

Kelsi looked down to the floor and then back up to meet the three chocolate gazes of her Taylor and Sharpay. "I can't. It's just so not me y'know"

Taylor reached out and rubbed Kelsi's upper arm soothingly. "I know. But you can't help how you feel"

Sharpay pouted slightly her hand rubbing through her blonde hair awkwardly and Gabriella saw her suction her right cheek into her mouth. "Who do you see yourself with in a year's time?"

Kelsi sighed deeply and wiped away a stray tear from her porcelain face. "I don't know. But being honest. I don't think it's Jason"

Gabriella felt a coating of sorrow wash over her petite frame. From what she had learnt about Jason in the past few days was that even though he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box Jason did like Kelsi if not loved her but from the conversation they had just had she could sense that the feeling wasn't really mutual.

"Again it's not my place but I wouldn't be in a relationship if I wasn't happy" Gabriella explained.

"Speaking from experience?" Kelsi asked gingerly.

Gabriella looked down at the floor and took another drink from her glass the cold liquid tickling down the back of her throat soothing down into the pit of her flat stomach. "That's a whole different conversation"

The air suddenly became a little thicker and Gabriella could tell that they were all wondering the same question. What had happened? "So what can I wear to this party tomorrow night?"

Taylor smiled tightly sensing Gabriella's shiftiness and change of subject.

"Anything"

At that moment she made a mental note to herself. Anything that would make her look at least remotely attractive to Mr. Perfection.